Drive mechanism for friction rolls



March 10, 1925.

F. E. FL.'YNN ET AL DRIVE MECHANISM FOR FRICTION ROLLS Filed Sept. 1 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l iilllL Flllll March 10, 1925. 1,528,919

F. E. FLYNN ET AL DRIVE MECHANISM FOR FRICTION ROLLS Filed Sept. M, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/VVENTGES Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES FRANK EDWARD FIJYNN, OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, AND JAMES ROY HENSLEY, 0F

1,528,919 PATENT OFFICE.

HOLLIDAYS COVE, WEST VIRGINIA.

I: Application filed September 14, 1923. Serial No. 662,789. I '1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK EDWARD FLYNN and JAMEs ROY HnNsLnY, citizens of the United States of America, and residents, respectively, of Ste-ubenville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Ohio, and Hollidays Cove, in the county of Hancock and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drive Mechanism for Friction Rolls, of which'the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to driving mechanism for rolls, and more specifically to an emergency drive for frictionally driven rolls.

The primary object of the invention is to provide, in association with the frictionall'y driven roll of a pair or set of rolls, a normally inactive drive mechanism which, upon a substantial reduction in the speed of such roll below that of its companion roll, promptly and automatically becomes active for effecting positive driving of such roll.

As is well known, it frequently happens that the frictionally driven roll of a set of rolls, especially in rolling mills, becomes unduly slowed down or stops when heavy pieces of metal are being passed between it and its companion positively driven roll; and such slowing down or stopping produces results which are at all times extremely injurious, if not actually ruinous, tothe rolls.

As above indicated, it is the chief aim of the present invention to provide driving means which, when the frictionally driven roll tends to unduly lag orstop, becomes instantly operative for positively driving such roll, thereby to obviate injury which would otherwise result, as aforesaid.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is herein had to the accompanying drawings, in which 'Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, showing its application to the frictionally driven top roll of a rolling mill;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the spindle members;

Figure 3 is an inner end elevation of the same, showing the face of the coupling;

Figured is an elevation of one face of the shiftable clutch member;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 6 is an opposite face view of said clutch member;

nnrva MECHANISM FOR FRICTION ROLLS. I

Figure 7 is an inner end elevation of the opposite spindle member;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the same, showing the bolt or stem upon which said clutch member is mounted; and- Figure 9 is a similar elevation of the same, viewed from a point at a right angle to the View point in 8.

Referring to said drawings, 1 indicates the lower roll of a set of rolls of the type commonly employed in mills for the rolling of heavy metal, said roll being positively driven, as ordinarily, through a spindle 2 by which it is coupled to a drive shaft or to another positively driven roll in a train of rolls. Located over said roll 1 is a similar roll 3 which, as heretofore commonly employed, has been adapted to be driven by frictional engagement with said roll 1 or with material interposed for rolling between said rolls.

In carrying out the present invention, a pinion 4 is carried by an appropriate part of, or at an'appropriate point in, the drive for the lower roll 1, as on the neck of an adjacent alined roll of the train. Said pinion is disposed in driving relation to a pinion 5 carried in opposing relation thereto, as by an overlying countershaft 6 to which is coupled, as by a common form ofcoupling box 7, an alined stem 8 having a head 9. Also coupledto the wabble 3 of the upper roll 3, as by a coupling box 10, is a stem 11 having a head 12. Said heads 9 and 12 are disposed in facing relation and are spaced apart a suitable distance.

Fitted in a centrally located socket 18 provided therefor in the face of the head 9, and preferably fixed to said head 9, is the head portion 14 of a pin or spindle 14 which has its opposite end'loosely received in a centrally located socket 15 provided therefor in the head 12: and rotatably mounted on said spindle 14' between said heads9 and 12 is a clutch member 16.

The head 12 has the face thereof shaped to provide a plurality of radially extending teeth or shoulders 17 which face rearwardly in respect to the direction of travel of the roll 3 to which it is coupled, as aforesaid, and the substantially triangular surfaces 18 located between said shoulders are inclined as shown. That face of the clutch member 16 which confronts the described face of the head 12 substantially conforms in shape to that of thelast mentioned face, so that said faces in one of their relative positions are adapted to assume close fitting interengaged relation in which forwardly facing shoulders 19 of said clutch member interlock with the shoulders 17 of the head 12, as shown 111 Fig. 1.

The opposite face of the clutch member 16 has a pair of diametrically opposite radially disposed shoulders 20 which face forwardly in respect to the direction of rotation of the roll 3 and which in one position of said member interlock with *s'milar rearwardly facing shoulders 21 formed on the confronting face of the head 9. Also formed on the last mentioned face of the clutch member and separated from the shoulder 20 thereof a suitable distance are two diametrically opposite radially disposed rearwardly facing shoulders 22 of greater depth than said shoulders 20 which, inone position of said member interlock with similar forwardly facing shoulders 23 formed on said confronting face of the head 9. i

The pinion 5 is provided with a slightly greater number of teeth than the pinion 4: and is consequently driven at a speed sl ghtly 'lessthan said pinion 1. As a result of this-difference in speed, the clutch drive hereinbefore described remains inoperative for driving the roll 3 so long as the speed of the latter is equal to that of the positively driven roll 1. hile the speed of said roll 3, frictionally driven, rema ns sub stantially that of the roll 1, the clutch member 16 occupies a position on the pin or spindle 14: in which its shoulders 19 are disengaged, or withdrawn, from the shoulders 17 of the head 12, and in which the shoulders 22 of its opposite face abut against the shoulders 23 of the head 9. Th s position of the clutch with respect to the head 12 is normally maintained due to the fact that the inclined surfaces of the latter, when roll 3 is frictionally driven at the speed of roll 1, act upon the corresponding adjacent surfaces of the more-slowly'rotated'clutch to push the latter away from said'head'12. V fhen, however, the roll 3 stops orits speed falls below that at" which the head 9 is being driven, th'e'shoulders 21of'the latter are carried forwardinto interlockingrelation to the shoulders 20'of'the clutch member for positively driving'the-latter, and in so moving forward, the inclined surfaces 24 and 25' formed, respectively, on the head 9 and the clutch member ride over the inclined surfaces 26 and 27, respectively, of said member and saidhead, thus thrusting said member towardthe head 12 and into the position in which the sh'oulderslt) of'said member interlock with the shoulders 17 of said hea'd 12. In this position the heads'9 andlQ-and the clutch member'cooperate to above described, the inclined surfaces 18 and 28 cooperating inan obvious manner to effect such shifting. One or both of the stems 8 and ll of'the heads 9 and 12, respectively, are readily shiftable in the coupl ng boxes 7 and 10 throughout a sufficient distance to allow the clutch 16 to move out of the position wherein its shoulders 19 are operatively interengaged with. the shoulders 1'? of the head 12.

It is wholly immaterial whether, following outward movement of the head. 9 to the point where its stem 8 abuts against the countershaft 6, said stem is ever returned to the position shown in Fig. 1. Even in the extreme outward position ofstem 8, the head 9 will act to thrust the clutch member 16 into operative interlocked relation to the head 12 when the latter steps or slows down in speed below that of the head. 9, and at the same time it will occupy drawing relation to said clutch member through interengagement of its shoulders 21 with the clutch shoulders 20.

While we have herein shown and described the invention as applied to the rolls of a rolling mill, it will be understood that the same is readily applicable to any character of rolls in which one roll of a set is frictionally driven.

lVhat is claimed is 1: A drive mechanism for the frictionally driven roll of a set of rolls, said mechanism being normally inoperative for effecting driving of'said roll, comprising in combination with such rolls a member located in alinement'with the friction-roll and positively rotated at a speed less than the normal friction speed of the latter and having a radially shoulderedface, a membercoupled to said roll and having a radially shouldered face, and ashiftable member interposed between the aforesaid faces and having on its opposite faces shoulders adapted tointerlock with those of the faces which they confront, the last mentioned member being automatically shiftable into and out of operative'relation to the roll carried-member.

2. The combination with the frictionally driven roll of'a set" of rolls, ofmechanism, normally inoperative, which becomes operative for driving saidroll upon a substantial reduction in the speed of'the latter below that of the driving roll, said mechanism comprising a member positively rotatedat a speed lower than the normal friction speed of said friction roll, amember coupled'to said roll, said member having radially disposed shoulders on their confronting'faces, and a member interposed between the said confronting faces and having on its opposite faces shoulders adapted to interlock respectively with the confronting faces of the two first mentioned members for transmitting rotation from the first mentioned member to the second mentioned member for driving the latter upon a substantial reduction in the speed of the friction roll, said faces of the intermediate member and those of the opposite end members being shaped to cooperate for effecting shifting of said intermediate member into and out of driving relation to the second mentioned end member with reduction and acceleration, respectively, of the speed of the friction roll below and above that of the driven member.

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with the frictionally driven roll of a set of rolls, of a member in fixed relation to said roll, a member posi tively driven at a speed substantially lower than that of said roll, each of said members having radially shouldered faces, and a clutch mounted intermediate said faces of said member and having its opposite faces shouldered and adapted to interengage cooperatively with the shoulders of the there- 7 with confronting faces of said members, said clutch being shiftable and the confronting faces of said clutch and said members being relatively inclined to effect shifting of the clutch to and from operative position with reduction and acceleration, respectively, of the speed of said roll below and above that of the positively driven member.

t. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with the frictionally driven roll of a set of rolls, of a member in fixed relation to said roll, a member positively driven at a speed substantially lower than that of said roll, each of said members having radially shouldered faces, a spindle carried centrally by one of said members, and a clutch rotatable and longitudinally shiftable upon said spindle, the opposite faces of said clutch being shaped for 00- operative interlocking engagement with the shoulders of the therewith confronting faces of said members, said confronting faces of said clutch and said members being inclined for normally holding said clutch in inoperative position. and for effecting shifting of the clutch to said position when the speed of said roll exceeds that of said driven member.

5. A clutch mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination with a frictionally driven roll, a member positively rotated at a speed lower than the normal friction speed of said roll, a rotatable member shiftable toward and away from said positively driven member and constantly maintained in rotation by the latter, and a third member permanently associated with and rotating with said roll, said shiftable member being automatically movable into and out of driving relation to said third member with variations in speed of the roll below and above that of said driven member.

In testimony whereof we afiiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK EDWARD FLYNN. JAMES ROY HENSLEY. Witnesses:

JAMES K. OAVEI'I, A. G. DAVIS. 

